PLANADVISER - May/June 2019 - 6

practice development
Webinars
Multiply
Possibilities
C
hepenik Financial, the 2019
PLANSPONSOR Retirement
Plan Adviser Large Team of
the Year, is receiving more client
requests than ever for educational
webinars, says Jason Chepenik,
managing partner at the firm, in
Orlando, Florida. " At finals presentations,
the executive team often says
they envision this as the primary
method to deliver information to
participants, " he says.
" Webinars are popular, " agrees
Mike Lynch, vice president, strategic
markets at Hartford Funds in Charlotte,
North Carolina. " There is no substitute
for face-to-face meetings, but the pressure
of time makes it hard to do them.
A webinar offers an alternative way to
get in front of many participants in a
cost-effective way and, if it's recorded,
gives them the flexibility to view it at
their convenience. "
Typically, 10% of participants attend
a live webinar and another 5% to 10%
view the recording, says Marcia Mantell,
owner of Mantell Retirement Consulting
Inc. in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Chepenik Financial produces its own
webinars, created by a Jorge Pereira,
director of participant education.
" The process is long, " notes Mantell,
" with lots of players involved, " which
means that while large financial companies
may produce their own events, it
may be too much of an endeavor for a
small firm.
If any adviser firm wants to skip
the task of creating its own webinars,
it can turn to many of the recordkeepers
and investment managers that
produce educational webinars for plan
sponsors' use.
For example, Hartford Funds has a
staff of five to produce and participate
in such webinars, plus go around the
Typically, 10% of participants attend
a live webinar and another 5% to 10%
view the recording.
country to give presentations to retirement
plan participants.
Topics typically include those
focused on retirement, such as
preparing financially, tax planning and
applying Social Security and Medicare
strategies, Lynch says. Other topics
more broadly addressing financial
wellness could cover debt consolidation,
creating a budget, college funding
and insurance, he says.
In addition, sponsors and participants
have indicated a growing
interest in the nonfinancial aspects of
retirement planning, such as quality
of life, managing longevity, caregiving,
or five ways technology will change
the way you age, he says. For these
presentations, Hartford
Funds has
partnered with Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT).
Probably the best place to start
when offering webinars, Lynch says,
is to first survey participants to ask
what topics they want to learn about.
The next is to partner with a webinar
provider, such as ClearSlide, WebEx,
GoToMeeting, ON24 or one of many
other options.
The next step is to send participants
a notice or invitation for the webinar,
with a URL link to join it, Mantell says.
Keep in mind timing, sources say.
Some topics may need only 20 minutes
while others might take 45 or more.
While the webinar is running,
participants should have the opportunity
to ask questions, Mantell
suggests. Then, once it is over, the
adviser should offer next steps, be
they the opportunity to meet with
him one-on-one or an announcement
of another upcoming webinar.
-Lee Barney
6 | planadviser.com May-June 2019
Art by Jennifer Xiao
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PLANADVISER - May/June 2019

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